EMS Additional Information
Wage and Employment Data for EMT & Paramedics
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
An Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) provides pre-hospital emergency care to the acutely ill or injured patient. The EMT course (EMS 105) is a 15 week course that is offered during the spring and fall semesters at the Edgewood campus. The course is held from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Graduates of the course are eligible to take the National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT) Examination upon completion.
The EMT course is 6 credit hours. During the 15 week course, each student must perform 8 hours in the emergency department at St. Elizabeth and 16 hours riding with an ambulance; obtaining a total of 10 patient contacts from those 24 hours.
As an Emergency Medical Technician, you will be trained to perform the following skills:
- Airway oxygenation and ventilation
- Bleeding control and shock management
- Cardiac arrest management
- Childbirth delivery
- Joint immobilization
- Long bone immobilization
- Traction splinting immobilization
- Oxygen administration
- Patient assessment-medical
- Patient assessment-trauma
- Spinal immobilization
- Supraglottic airway device insertion (King Airway or Combitube)
The estimated cost of the Emergency Medical Technician course is $1,220 (tuition & fees: $1,020 | books, uniform, and supplies: $200*). The EMT course may be eligible for federal financial aid or the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program!
*Estimate may be lower if the student purchases used textbooks or already has uniform pants, boots, etc.
Tuition is based on the in-state tuition rate. For more information about Gateway’s tuition and fees, please visit Tuition and Fees.
All program costs are subject to change.
Paramedic
A Paramedic provides the highest level of pre-hospital emergency care to acutely ill or injured patients. Paramedics have an advanced level of knowledge and skill set to treat the most significant patients in the pre-hospital setting.
The Paramedic program offers two cohorts, which finish in just 11 months.
- August cohort: Classes are held on Tuesday/Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Edgewood campus.
- January cohort: Classes are held on Monday/Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Graduates of the program are eligible to take the National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT) Paramedic Examination upon completion.
You must be a certified EMT by the first day of class. If you are not a certified EMT, please see the drop-down box above this for more information on our EMT course.
The paramedic certificate program is a total of 45 credit hours (including pre-requisites/co-requisites; BIO 135 & AHS 115). During the program, each student must perform 180 hours in the clinical setting and 360 hours riding with an ambulance. During the 360 hours in the field, each student must obtain 75 patient contacts (35 must be ALS) and 50 team leads (20 must be ALS). The student is responsible for scheduling these hours around his/her personal availability. We do not assign the student certain days, times, etc. to perform their clinical and field hours.
As a Paramedic, in addition to the skills you have as an EMT, you will be trained to perform the following skills:
- Advanced Airway Management
- Oral endotracheal intubation
- Nasal endotracheal intubation
- Percutaneous cricothyroidotomy
- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
- Needle decompression of the pleural space
- Transport ventilator
- Pharmacological Interventions
- Intravenous access (IV)
- Intraosseous access (IO)
- Intramuscular injections (IM)
- Subcutaneous injections (SC)
- Sublingual administration (SL)
- Administer over 30 medications by IV or IO
- Medical/Cardiac Care
- Place and interpret electrocardiograms (ECG)
- Synchronized cardioversion
- Manual defibrillation
- Transcutaneous pacing
The estimated cost of the paramedic certificate program is $8,970 (tuition & fees: $7,650 | books, uniform, and supplies: $1,400*). This estimate includes all courses (including pre-requisites) for the entire paramedic certificate program. The paramedic program is eligible for federal financial aid or the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program!
Additional costs must be considered for those who want an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in EMS-Paramedic degree.
*Estimate may be lower if the student purchases used textbooks or already has uniform pants, boots, etc.
Tuition is based on the in-state tuition rate. For more information about Gateway’s tuition and fees, please visit Tuition and Fees.
All program costs are subject to change.
Existing Paramedics (Degree Seeking)
If you are already a Paramedic and wanting to obtain your Associate Degree, you are in the right spot! At Gateway, your paramedic license will transfer into our degree program as 38 credit hours. This means that you only have to take 8 classes to finish your Associate of Applied Science: Emergency Medical Services-Paramedic. All 8 classes can be taken online around your already chaotic schedule as a Firefighter/Paramedic or Paramedic.
You will take the following courses:
- AHS 115: Medical Terminology: 3 credit hours
- BIO 135: Basic Anatomy and Physiology with Laboratory: 4 credit hours
- ENG 101: Writing 1: 3 credit hours
- Heritage/Humanities: 3 credit hours
- COM 181: Basic Public Speaking: 3 credit hours
- PSY 110: General Psychology: 3 credit hours
- CIT 105: Introduction to Computers: 3 credit hours
- MAT 110: Applied Mathematics: 3 credit hours
Paramedic to RN
Gateway's Paramedic to RN program creates a direct path for paramedics who want to transition into a nursing career.
Paramedics often decide to continue their education to become registered nurses because there are more jobs and growth opportunities in the field. Completion of the program at Gateway will help paramedics become flight medics, emergency room nurses and will open management opportunities.
Gateway’s paramedic to RN program not only creates new opportunities for paramedics, it also helps to close the nursing gap. The Kentucky Center for Statistics estimates that the state will need more than 30,000 additional registered nurses by the year 2026. Training paramedics to be registered nurses is one of the fastest ways to get new nurses into the field.
With all the previous training experience, paramedics will be able to complete the paramedic to RN program in three semesters; fall, spring and summer, allowing them to finish in one academic year.
Classes for the program will primarily be on Gateway’s Edgewood Campus.
Gateway’s nursing courses are offered in a combination of both classroom and laboratory experiences that is then applied in clinical settings at a variety of community agencies.
The Paramedic to RN program is a selective admissions program. Applications are open during the month of April, during each year for acceptance into the fall cohort.
